Moto what a company. History of Motorola

This brand is now trying to revive with the help of Chinese partners. Approximately the same thing happens with the no less legendary company Motorola. Let's talk about her.

Historical digression

Motorola is a brand with a rich history. The company was founded by the Galvin brothers in 1928. At first they were engaged in assembling network rectifiers. In 1930, the Motorola car receiver appeared. A few more receivers followed, as well as radiotelephones and walkie-talkies (Walkie-talkie).

In 1947, the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation changed its name to Motorola. Well, the familiar logo in the form of the letter "M" appeared in 1955.

In 1956, the world saw the first pager, in 1963 - the first rectangular kinescope for TV, all under the Motorola brand. And even on the Apollo spacecraft, Motorola equipment was installed; without it, the first session of communication between the Moon and the Earth in 1969 would not have taken place.

And the most important event for Motorola (and the world as a whole) took place in 1973 - the world's first mobile phone Motorola DynaTAC. The tube appeared on sale only in 1984, before that several of its prototypes had been tested. The device weighed about a kilogram, was equipped with 12 keys and had no display. In talk mode, the phone worked for about an hour, and it took more than 10 hours to charge.

It is curious that when creating the first "mobile phone" Motorola went "side by side" with Bell Laboratories. And she became the first, ahead of her competitor. DynaTAC creator Martin Cooper made the first ever cellular call - where do you think? To the Bell Laboratories office to report that they lost.

Photo - Motorola

Motorola has been one of the most famous mobile phone manufacturers for a long time. It is worth recalling the hit models MicroTAC (the first flip phone, 1989), StarTAC (the first “clamshell”, 1996), MPx200 (an affordable Windows Mobile smartphone, 2003), C350 (an inexpensive handset with a color screen, 2004), E398 (folk "muzophone", 2004), RAZR V3 (super thin "clamshell", 2004).

Photo - Motorola

Actually, after RAZR everything went downhill. The company began to make boring clones on the same platform. And then came the iPhone, and with it the era of smartphones. The company's attempts to release models based on Linux and WM have not been successful. In 2009, Motorola's Android smartphone, the Droid, was released. But he also got lost on the shelves.

In 2011, the loss-making mobile phone business Motorola was bought by Google for $12.5 billion. The high price was due to the value of Motorola's patent portfolio. And more "Google", it seems, did not need anything. Production capacity was reduced and in 2014 Motorola was resold to the Chinese company Lenovo for $2.91 billion (almost no patents).

Lenovo wanted to get more markets thanks to the legendary brand. Well, promote your brand. Therefore, it was decided to abandon the name Motorola, left the colloquial version - Moto, Lenovo Moto. The Chinese in every possible way emphasize who owns the brand.

In the process of all the vicissitudes, Motorola has completely withdrawn from many markets, including ours. Only in the summer of 2017 did the brand (with the help of Lenovo) return to Russia.

Inexpensive models

Now the company officially delivers seven new smartphones to Russia.

C - cheap series. Two simple handsets in plastic cases with 5-inch displays, quad-core processors and Android 7.0. Available models Moto C 3G with 8 GB of memory and Moto C LTE with 16 GB. The C plus modification has a higher screen resolution (1280x720 versus 854x480), the best camera(8 MP vs 5 MP) and a larger battery (4000 vs 2350 mAh).

Photo - Motorola

Moto C costs from 4,000 rubles in the most affordable version, C plus - from 6,000 rubles. The phones are available in vibrant colors - starry black, gold, metallic cherry, pearl white.

E - more "advanced" line (fourth generation). Pleasant to the touch metal cases, fingerprint scanners, Android 7.1.1. Moto E features a 5-inch screen (1280x720), 2 GB of RAM, an 8 MP camera and a 2800 mAh battery. The E Plus has a larger 5.5-inch display, 3GB of RAM, a 13MP camera, and an outstanding 5,000mAh battery. And in addition to 16 GB, there is a version with 32 GB of flash memory.

Photo - Motorola

The junior Moto E costs from 7,500 rubles, the "plus" version - from 10,500 rubles.

G - even more "tasty" series (fifth generation), but still affordable. Consists of G5S and G5S plus models in beautiful all-metal cases.

Moto G5S, photo - Motorola

G5S features a 5.2-inch (1920x1080) screen with Corning protection Gorilla glass 3, while the G5S Plus is similar but 5.5-inch. There is also a difference in chipsets, the younger model has Snapdragon 430, the older one has Snapdragon 625. The G5S has a 16 megapixel camera, and the G5S Plus is much more interesting due to the dual 13 megapixel module (photo with a beautiful bokeh effect, 4K video). “Front cameras” are also different - 5 megapixels for a more affordable model, 8 megapixels with a wide-angle module - for the older one.

Moto G5S Plus, photo - Motorola

The amount of RAM for both handsets is 3 GB, flash memory - 32 GB, batteries - 3000 mAh (supported fast charging by TurboPower technology). OS - Android 7.1 Nougat.

Moto G5s costs from 15,000 rubles, G5S Plus has not yet appeared on sale, but is expected this fall.

Flagships and modules for them

Moto's top line today is the Z2. It contains two smartphones. More affordable - Z2 Play, the most advanced - Z2 Force. The second, unfortunately, is not officially delivered to Russia and it is not known whether it will be - the company believes that it is too expensive. Well, the Play version, although good, cannot be called a real flagship: 5.5-inch screen (1920x1080), 3,000 mAh battery, Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 chipset, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of flash memory, 12 MP camera with laser autofocus and Dual Pixel technology for fast focusing. But the price is attractive - from 25,000 rubles.

Z2 Force, if it appears, will cost at least 50 thousand rubles. This device is much more interesting. First, it is worth noting the shatterproof ShatterShield screen. Yes, yes, Moto solved one of the main problems of modern smartphones. Multiple layers instead of glass different materials, the display is not scratched, it does not break when dropped.

Image from Motorola website

Smartphone screen - 5.5-inch, AMOLED, resolution 2560x1440 pixels. The top chipset is Snapdragon 835, the amount of RAM is 4/6 GB, the drive is 64/128 GB. OS - Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

Photo - Motorola

Dual camera, 12 megapixel modules provide a clear picture and portraits with a beautifully blurred background. Front camera - 5 MP with dual LED flash(you can take a selfie even in complete darkness).

But the battery let us down - only 2,730 mAh for the sake of a super-thin body.

And you know what is the MOST interesting thing about the Z2 series? These are the only modular smartphones on the world market. We are talking about MOTO Mods - accessories connected to the rear "back" that expand the functionality of the smartphone. Accessories now available - insta-share projector, powerful JBL SoundBoost speakers, optional moto turbopower battery, 360-degree video camera, back panel with the support wireless charging etc. There are even mods that turn the phone into a full-fledged gamepad and a camera with 10x zoom. A module with a physical QWERTY keyboard will be released soon.

Photo - Motorola

Not to say that the idea of ​​modules is very practical and is a "killer feature", but they really stand out Moto smartphones among competitors.

Accessories

Motorola/Lenovo don't give enough attention to accessories right now. And once the Moto 360 smart watch became one of the first on the market with a round dial and set the fashion for a long time.

Now the second generation model Moto 360 2nd gen is available for sale (from 25,000 rubles). It may not be new, but it has proven itself well. This is one of the most compact watches (available in two sizes) with a metal case, nice colors and a cool collection of interchangeable straps. Platform - Android Wear. The gadget is not afraid of water splashes, is equipped with a pulse sensor, works 2-3 days on a single charge.

Photo - Motorola

Few know how this leader and leader began mobile communications. Yes, it is Motorola that is considered the pioneer of full-fledged mobile communications. But the history of the brand does not begin with mobile phones. Let's go in order.

Paul Galvin

The future founder of the company is interesting enough as a person to give him special attention.

Innovator was born June 29, 1895 at Harvard. Already at the age of 13, instead of school, the young man was engaged in trade at the local station. Then in his assortment there was only puffed corn, and local authorities often drove the boy from the platform. Over time, the stationmaster resigned himself.

For the next six years, until entering the university, Paul honestly earned money by replacing cornflour with sandwiches or ice cream. He perfectly felt society, but was not going to legitimize his business.

In 1917 he went to work. During the First World War, Galvin rose to the rank of captain and returned to a quiet civilian life. However, the subsequent job at the battery factory did not kill the craving for his own business in the young man.

First attempts

In production, he meets Edward Stewart, with whom they opened their own battery manufacturing company. True, three years later the government sealed the office right along with Paul's coat. Blame it on tax evasion.

Two years later, the former partners gather in Chicago and again step on the same rake. Again the production of batteries, but this time for two years.

Interestingly, after putting the company's property up for auction, Galvin collects the last $ 750 and buys his own equipment for the production of network power supplies from the state.

Paul Galvin (left) and Joseph Galvin (right)

A younger brother, Joseph Galvin, came to the rescue. He became Paul's new partner, investing $565 in the new company along the way. So in 1928, the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation was born.

This time everything was done according to the letter of the law. From the surviving documents it follows that at the start only five employees were subordinate, who received $ 63 salaries in the first week.

The company was engaged in the production of network rectifiers. They allowed radios to be connected to an outlet, thereby getting rid of batteries. The business was very break-even, but not very profitable, which prompted Paul to look for new niches.

It's impossible! But we will do...

In the early twenties of the last century, America literally lived on cars and radios. These were two novelties that fairly broad masses could afford. But the combination of these two directions became problematic.

Interference from the generator and ignition turned the radio signal into mush, so you had to turn off the engine to listen to the wave. But one of the company's engineers, William Lear, dared to suggest that Paul concentrate on the development of car radio.

If such a radio is possible, it will be immediately banned, because it will distract the driver from the road.

But despite his harsh words, Paul soon changes his mind. After all, he came across an ad where for $ 240 it was proposed to install a converted radio in a car.

Then he, in a very typical style for himself, simply set the task for his employees: "make car radio cheaper than $ 240."

Surprising but doesn't always work

During the preparation of the material, several references to a rather strange incident were found. Completely different sources said that one finished copy caught fire almost around the corner after installation.

What is known for sure is that the team worked in a very difficult mode. Development was carried out at an accelerated pace. The company was targeting the Radio Manufacturers Association convention in Atlantic City.

The working model was ready two days before the event, and Paul had to do the final debugging right on the road. Yes, the first copy was installed in his car.

Already together with his wife, Galvin demonstrated the development to everyone. And despite the existing skepticism, the novelty was greeted very cordially. And the cost of the finished copy was estimated at $ 110.

The advent of Motorola

It was decided to release radio receivers on the market under a new trademark, which was called Motorola.

According to the first version, the word came from the merger of motion and Victrola. The first denoted movement, and the second was the brand of the most popular stationary radios.

If we talk about another version, then it says that instead of motion, the word motor was the basis. Although there are supporters of the third theory. Motor + ola, the latter was often used to refer to radio engineering.

And despite the fact that the first receiver went on sale in 1930, Galvin Manufacturing Corporation existed until 1947, until it received the name of its most popular brand.

War or business?

In 1936, Galvin and his family went to Europe. A wonderful rest overshadows the feeling of the imminent start of new hostilities. It seemed to many that these were the ravings of a former officer. But he was determined to create systems for military communications.

These roads, the autobahns, were built for more than just cars. These are roads for military equipment.

At that time, the US Army was armed with bulky communication systems operating on the “listen, speak” mode. And Paul gave his engineers a new challenge: "create a new device with two-way radio communication (as in a telephone conversation)."

In 1940, Professor Daniel Noble, a true pioneer in the world of radio communications, joined the work. The first Handie-talkie was released the same year. And during the hostilities, the US Army becomes the main customer of the company.

Handie-talkie
walkie-talkie

In 1943, the Walkie-talkie, a more long-range communication system, was released. At the same time, due to the ban on the collection and sale of civilian vehicles, all car radios available in warehouses were converted into stationary ones. Such a move made it possible to keep the distribution network under control.

More doesn't mean better

The war was drawing to a close and the question of finding a new development path for the company was brewing. At that time, TVs were produced by RCA, had a diagonal of 10 inches and cost $ 300. Paul once again challenges the engineers to "make a $175.95 7.5" TV.

Despite the skepticism of the team, the idea turned out to be brilliant. The company was really able to produce a TV set with the parameters required by Paul. During the first year of sales (1947-1948), 100,000 copies were sold, the device became truly massive.

At the same time, it was possible to acquire the assets of Detrola, which had a direct agreement with the automaker Ford. As a result of the deal, Motorola was able to start supplying radio tape recorders directly to the auto industry, so that buyers of the car already got the radio.

family business

Paul Galvin placed his only son, Robert, in the company. And not for an important post. Robert met Galvin Manufacturing Corporation at the age of 16 when he started working in a warehouse.

Initially, the work assumed a temporary nature, but the young man remained in the family business, gradually climbing all the steps of the career ladder on his own.

Paul Galvin with son Robert Galvin

And in 1948, when Paul was 53 years old, his son Robert became the executive vice president of Motorola. The father constantly monitored the actions and decisions of his son to make sure that he was able to effectively manage a large company.

In 1956, Robert Galvin takes over as president of the company and regularly consults with his father, until 1959, when Paul Galvin passed away.

Achievement chain

In 1956 Motorola launches a pager. The US government buys it for medical staff to improve work efficiency.

In 1958 the company enters the space race with NASA. Thanks to the transistor radio, the whole world was able to hear the famous words of Neil Armstrong during the landing on the moon.

In 1960 launched the world's first wireless transistorized Motorola Astronaut TV. The novelty had a 19-inch screen and instantly became a bestseller.

In the same year, the company starts production in Mexico and opens its representative office in Japan, starting to produce semiconductors and integrated circuits for the local market.

In 1966 the world saw the smallest portable TV receiver Tiny Tim TV. It requires only four AA batteries to operate.

In 1972 the MODAT mobile communication complex was released, which was greatly liked emergency services and the police. With its help, the dispatcher could easily contact the driver, informing him of any important information.

At the same time, the DVP system was launched, which dealt with voice encryption. It was actively used by special forces.

Martin Cooper during the first in the world cellular call from mobile phone

April 13, 1973, project leader for the creation of a personal phone, Martin Cooper made the world's first phone call from a mobile device. To do this, he got out to the center of Manhattan and, right from the prototype, challenged the head of the development of a similar project at AT&T.

Guess where I'm calling from? I call you from the real cell phone.

The DynaTAC 8000X model entered the series, containing a modest 30 address book numbers. After a 10-hour charge, it was possible to make about 30-40 minutes of negotiations.

In 1974 The company introduced its first processor. Clock frequency new items was 2 MHz, 78 operations were placed in the command system.

In 1981 the company announces a decision to reduce scrap to 0.00044% through a new management concept. If you do not delve into the principle of operation, then you can simply notice that over the next 5 years, the number of defects decreased by 90% without loss of productivity.

Six Sigma was so effective that competitors began to adopt it. And the origins of the development were associated with the observation of one of the leaders, Bill Smith, who followed the scheme of work of Japanese enterprises.

In 1989 the company launches the first compact cell phone with a screen. The MicroTAC 9800X had a modest display and cost $3,500. Not everyone could afford it, but the device did not become less breakthrough from this.

Serious investment

A separate dark line can be developed in the early nineties of your own satellite communications.

It all started with the creation of a subsidiary of Iridium LLC, in which Motorola invested $ 400 million, along the way getting into numerous debts, because five billion was required for a successful launch!

It was planned to launch 77 satellites into orbit, which were supposed to provide stable reception of satellite communications around the world. And almost $ 200 million was poured into the advertising campaign.

But at the time of launch in 1998, the market situation has changed. Level honeycomb coverage, as well as the very quality of communication, has become much better. And instead of 500,000 potential clients, upon launch, Motorola served only 10,000.

At the same time, the technology itself worked with some miscalculations. While driving a car or indoors, communication with the satellite was simply lost.

As a result, only 66 satellites ended up in orbit, several loans hung on the subsidiary, and it declared itself bankrupt. Later it was bought out, the development continued to live, but already under the control of the Pentagon.

On the way to hell

In 1997 the company was headed by Christopher Galvin, who was the son of Robert Galvin. Remarkably, Robert ceased running the company in 1986. And these ten years, one after another, the post of president was occupied by two employees closest to the leadership.

Iridium was their common project, who knows, maybe Robert or Christopher would not have got involved in this adventure. Although during the reign of the latter, a failed project was launched.

Such a major upheaval led to a wave of restructurings that pushed new developments to the back burner. and former leader mobile technologies turned out to be in the role of catching up, because Nokia came to the fore.

In 2001 the board of directors openly criticizes the company's policies. But Christopher declares that the reorganization issues need to be completed and the losses will disappear.

What is worth noting is that the new president of the company was betting on the classic values ​​​​of his grandfather and father, namely the availability and quality of cellular communications. At the same time, competitors realized that portable mobile technology went beyond ordinary calls.

Chief marketing officer Jeffrey Frost suggested expanding the product line with niche products. Thus began the development of the famous RAZR V3.

No one initially believed in the success of the future novelty, but after the release in 2004, it became insanely popular despite the price tag of $ 550 and the lack of a majority additional features offered by competitors.

At the same time, Edward Zander becomes CEO. Who, like the rest of the top of the company, could not explain the success of the new model, and therefore did not know how to repeat it.

As a result, the price of the model was reduced to $300, hoping to develop this line. Along the way, several innovative projects were curtailed, so that the brand, in fact, could no longer offer the user anything new.

The situation was almost saved by the appearance of the musical novelty E398, which had powerful stereo speakers. Based on it, it was planned to create a second version, but together with Apple. This is how ROKR turned out, which differed only in software, because iTunes was available in it.

However, after the release and success of the RAZR V3, Steve Jobs saw in Motorola not so much an ally as a competitor. At the same time, the company itself was developing its own smartphone, already knowing about the imminent decline of push-button phones and individual players.

Sunset of history?

In 2007 a serious war broke out on the market, in which Motorola could no longer find a place for itself. At the same time, Karl Icahn joined the board of directors, who by all means promoted the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bdividing the company and selling the mobile division.

In 2008 the company's losses amounted to $4.6 billion. But in 2009, they managed to reduce them to 51 million. It was noticeable that things would not get much better, and it was impossible to sell assets forever. The management decided to split the business into two companies Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions.

In 2011 the mobile division was sold to Google Corporation for $12.5 billion. Three years later, Lenovo acquired the same company, but for 2.9 billion.

Motorola Solutions is trying by all means to rectify the situation, starting to sell off most of the assets. This tactic brings the company $1.2 billion in 2014. A year later, revenue is a modest 610 million.

If we talk about the telecommunications direction now, then things are going quite well for him. Despite the predicted death, the company feels very stable. And 2018 closed with $7.34 billion in revenue, bringing in $966 million in net income.

It turns out that Motorola is alive? Yes, the brand still exists, but it is only a successful splinter from a large corporation, dealing with a narrow direction from the vast original activities. It is a pity that the once breakthrough company that gave the world access to cellular communication, has fallen victim to a lack of understanding of the needs of the market. However, this is history.

Gadget manufacturers

Paul Galvin was a businessman who had already failed repeatedly, but learned how to get out of the situation with dignity, as well as to negotiate. He was born at Harvard and from childhood was obsessed with the idea of ​​making money. As a teenager, young Paul sold popcorn at the train station, learning the laws of the market along the way.

While his classmates were doing their homework, Galvin was picking out seasonal produce. For example, in the summer he could sell ice cream, and in the winter - sandwiches. Paul moonlighted as a trader until the moment when he passed the entrance exams for admission to the university. After receiving a bachelor's degree, he was drafted into the army and spent two years in the war in Europe, where he was even promoted to captain.

His first venture was a battery company in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, it lasted only three years, after which it was closed for non-payment of taxes. The office was sealed along with Paul's outerwear (he later recalled that he was especially sorry for his coat). To support his family, he took a temporary job as a secretary and a few years later tried again to open a battery company.

This enterprise also lasted a couple of years. Whatever it was, Galvin did not give up. He bought the property of the bankrupt company at auction. At the same time, he was greatly helped by his younger brother Joseph, who invested his own cash to Paul's business. So their joint company was born, and the Galvin brothers finally began to lead the business of a lifetime.

The company's first products were rectifiers, devices that allowed battery-powered radios to run on household electricity. However, radio communication technology did not stand still and constantly developed, and therefore rectifiers very soon became obsolete. At the same time, Paul Galvin learned that some radio engineers were installing devices in their own cars, and instructed his engineers to develop inexpensive car radios that most vehicle owners could afford.

This idea was successful, and Galvin was able to demonstrate a working model of the receiver in 1930 at a convention in Atlantic City. From there, he returned with the number of orders that allowed his business to stay afloat.

Subsequently, the company will also change its name to Motorola. It is interesting that even today we use the expression "radio tape recorder", meaning car device which combines the features of a radio receiver and a tape recorder. Thus, the invention of Paul Galvin became a new milestone in the history of radio electronics.

The future Motorola company began selling its car receivers in the 1930s to police departments and municipalities. I must say that many subsequent projects of the company were related to radio electronics. So, in 1940 Motorola developed the first handheld radio in the world. Subsequently, the company will move to defense electronics, then to cellular technologies and manufacturing of mobile devices.

In 1940, Motorola created their own research and development program with Dr. Dan Noble. To do this, he even headed the company's research. During World War II, the AM SCR-536 radio would be designed and manufactured and played a pivotal role in Allied Communications. In terms of the price of contracts for military production during the same war, Motorola will be in 94th place among all others.

In 1943, the company would finally be called Motorola Inc. This event will coincide with the release of the VK101 Consolette radio. After that, the company will focus on the sale of radios and televisions. In three years, the turn of the radiotelephone for cars will come.

Years after Motorola opened a research lab in Arizona, in 1955 the first commercial germanium-based high-power transistor was introduced. The logo with the letter "M", reminiscent of bat wings, appeared in the same year. It was made famous graphic designer from Chicago by Morton Goldshall in 1954.

The company was also engaged in the production of televisions. In 1947, the VT-71 came out with a 7-inch CRT. In the early 60s, it was the turn of the first wireless large-screen TV and a rectangular color telescope. The company sold its television business in '74 to Matsushita, the parent company of .

But back to the 50s. In 1952, the company opened its first division in Canada, whose employees worked on radio and television. Next year, she will establish a fund to support leading American universities. Since 1958, the company has supplied radio equipment for most of NASA's space missions.

This went on for years, until the moon landing in 1969. Astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, uttered his famous words about the "giant leap for all mankind" through a Motorola transceiver from there. So the company managed to indirectly enter the history of astronautics.

It should be noted that Motorola has created many products for government, public safety, and general consumer use (including laptops, PC processors, radios, and telephones).

In 1964, the first research branch outside the United States, in Israel, will be opened, and already in 1973, the first hand-held portable telephone will be introduced. In a year, Motorola will release its first eight-bit microprocessor, which will be used in computer science, cars and video games.

In the fall of 1983, the FCC approved the DynaTAC 8000X telephone, the world's first commercial cellular device. By 1998, mobile devices accounted for two-thirds of Motorola's gross revenue. The company was also strong in semiconductor technology (including integrated circuits used in computers). So, together with IBM, she developed a special PowerPC architecture. Its basis was a prototype created at IBM in the late 70s.

In 1986, the concept of "six sigma" was developed, which later became the world standard. Its essence was reduced to the need to improve quality in production. Subsequently, it will be widely popularized and become a familiar standard.

In 1990, GI Corporation, which was later bought by Motorola, offered the first fully digital standard HDTV, i.e. high definition television. In the same year, she introduced the Bravo pager, which became a worldwide bestseller.

Some time later, Motorola was able to demonstrate the first prototype of GSM phones and digital cellular system in Germany. Three years later, the company introduced the world's first digital radio system on a commercial basis, and a year later, the first two-way pager.

In 1998, the company managed to overtake as the largest seller of mobile phones in the world. In the fall of the following year, she announced that she was going to acquire the aforementioned GI corporation, which long time was the No. 1 supplier of cable and television equipment. This meant that now all network components cable television taken over by Motorola.

It's the winter of 2011 outside, and Motorola is still divided into two separate divisions, each of which has a name with the word "Motorola". Motorola Solutions, which used the blue version of the logo, was based in a Chicago suburb and focused on radio, police technology, and commerce. Another, Motorola Mobility, was located in a different suburb of the city, used a red logo and worked on mobile phones.

The division was organized in such a way that the first firm was the successor old company Motorola, while the second was a spin-off. In the summer of 2011, Google announced their intention to acquire Motorola Mobility. Most of the shareholders voted for this decision. However, in the spring of next year, this solution was closed, and Google acquired MMI.

In the fall of 2014 Motorola Mobility is acquired by Lenovo. At the same time, Google claims ownership of the vast majority of the patent portfolio, but Lenovo receives a license for it. In addition, the latter get over two thousand patent assets, as well as the Motorola Mobility brand and trademark portfolio. At the same time, MM headquarters remained in Chicago and continued to use its own brand - only the president has changed.

Today, the mobile division of the company is developing cordless phones, and also licenses most of the results of its intellectual property. It also develops cellular and wireless systems, integrated applications and Bluetooth accessories. The latest gadgets include Moto G2, smart watches Moto 360 and so on.

Now a little about the company's by-products. In 1974, Motorola withdrew from its radio and television division, which included the Quasar electronics brand. This division was acquired by Matsushita, already known by its Panasonic brand in North America.

The loss of income also forced the company to wind down the ONNN business. For this network, Motorola even manufactured two satellites and a transceiver. The company also engaged in the production of semiconductors, automotive alternators and electromechanical speedometers.

The automotive business was sold to Motorola in the summer of 2006. From 2000 to 2008, the company also owned Printrak International, thanks to which it also had biometric software in its reserves.

For many, this company is associated as a manufacturer of mobile phones, but the range of products is much more diverse.

In 1928, entrepreneur Paul Galvin, together with his brother Joseph Galvin, formed the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation. The starting budget was $750, the main part of which went to the purchase of working material and the wages of five workers (for the first week of work, it was $63 for all).

Galvin Manufacturing Corporation produced rectifiers that allowed radios to run on batteries or electric current carried out in ordinary residential buildings. In 1930, the first radio receiver for Motorola cars rolled off the assembly line. In the future, the suffix "-ola" began to be popular among manufacturers of audio electronics, which has survived to this day (radiola, radio tape recorder). Consequently, the company combined "-ola" with the word "motor", alluding to an automotive theme.

Things went well, the range gradually expanded. The export of radiograms for the police (1936), which worked on only one frequency, was adjusted. Were constantly Scientific research and development. By 1943, Motorola releases the Walkie-talkie (Walki-talkie) - a pocket radio station with a short range and two-way communication. This device served as the basis for a whole class of electronic devices named after them.

In 1947, Galvin Manufacturing Corporation rebranded and changed its name to Motorola inc. The familiar logo, in the form of the letter “M”, consisting of two peaks, appeared in 1955.

Motorola's developments occupy a huge part of the market with their developments. In 1947, the company's first television set, called the Golden View, was born. As with radio equipment, televisions are sold at a relatively low price compared to competitors ($179.95 versus $300 for competing firms). It is thanks to Motorola's low pricing policy that televisions have become a popular commodity for mass consumption. This gave the company a large market share and sales stimulation.

In the early 50s, Motorola began to produce transistors and conductors, which it used in its own products. It is this step that will become one of the main components of the future success of the company. Already in 1955, the company announces its first germanium transistor radio, as well as the world's first pager. The Apollo spacecraft were equipped with Motorola equipment that transmitted data from the Moon to Earth (1969)

One of the most important events in the history of the development of Motorola Corporation can be called the first mobile phone DynaTAС, which carried out a real revolution. The first such phone could be purchased in 1984, and, despite the impressive cost of the phone, in a couple of years there were already several million users of the device.

The rapid development of mobile electronics was largely determined by innovations from Motorola.
So, in 1989, the first phone with a flip cover appeared - Motorola MicroTAC.
In 1996, a clamshell phone appeared - Motorola StarTAC.
In 1998 - the appearance of the mobile satellite phone Motorola Iridium 9500.
In 2000, Motorola introduced a mobile phone equipped with an FM receiver - Motorola V2288, as well as the first phone with Internet access (GPRS) - Motorola Timeport 260.
The following year, a phone was released in a new rotator form factor - the Motorola V70.
The resounding success of the company in 2004 was the flagship Motorola RAZR V3, a thin "clamshell" with metal inserts, which was very similar to a razor (Razor), hence the name RAZR.
True, all the achievements of the company did not help the company to stay in first place throughout its existence, Motorola fell in the ratings from 2nd place to 4th, leaving Samsung and LG ahead. Experts blame this on Ed Zander, the head of the company's CEO department, who was responsible for promoting the brand on the market. However, the beginning of 2010 gave hope for a revival - Motorola released a popular series of smartphones on operating system Android.
By early 2011, Motorola restructured into two businesses:
Motorola Solutions - production of radio electronics for commercial structures and government departments;
Motorola Mobility- tablet computers, phones and smartphones. Since mid-2011, it has been owned by Google (the deal amount is $12.5 billion).

Interesting Facts:

Motorola Corporation spent about 10 years and more than $ 100 million on the development of the first cell phone (this is for that time!). At that time, their competitors were AT&T Bell Laboratories. Motorola managed to be the first, on April 3, 1973, the main developer - Martin Cooper (Martin Cooper) made the first telephone call via mobile communications to the office of Bell Laboratories.

The same Martin Cooper later recalled his DynaTAC tests. He needed to move a lot with a heavy phone handset (its weight was more than one kilogram), which was not so easy for a not so young developer.